Australia's Average Room Temperature Is Too Hot For Red Wines, So One Winery Has Brought in Temperature Sensors

Red wine drinkers, prepare to have your minds blown -- when a winemaker says you should serve at 'room temperature', they're not talking about the temperature of an Australian room.

The antiquated term dates back to medieval French drawing rooms which were about 14-16˚C and the average Aussie living room is closer to 20˚C.

So basically our wine-drinking habits are the European equivalent to drinking warm beer.

For those of us who don't have a subterranean wine cellar or climate-controlled wine fridge, Australian winemaker Taylors Wines has introduced a mood ring-style temperature sensor.

The label has a thermal ink sensor that changes colour as the wine cools and warms, and a suggested optimum temperature range for serving.

Managing director Mitchell Taylor said Australian elements were good for growing wine, but not enjoying it.

"The warm Australian climate is not so great for storing and drinking wine,” Mitchell said in a statement.

“It’s an issue that most wine lovers don’t know is having a massive impact on their enjoyment and appreciation of wine.”

Australian Wine Vintages author and wine judge Rob Geddes said it was about time we addressed red wine temperatures in Australia.

"There is absolutely no doubt in Australia that red wines are being served too warm and something needs to be done," Geddes said.

"When a hot northerly blows across your red in summer, vapours rise. The alcohol can being to evaporate, and as the temperatures go up, the sense of acidity gets blurred but ti does make the tannins rounder.

"There's a whole range molecular weight aromas that come out of red wines and if it's too hot it will come out differently."

Geddes said transport across our sunburned country was also an issue for wine.

"Increasingly you'll see that South Australian winemakers will ship their wine in a refrigerated truck or in Western Australia, you'll hear about them timing shipping to avoid heat spikes.

"Will there be a time when wine comes with a temperature-sensitive chip that tells you how hot a wine has gotten before you've even opened it? There's a bit of background banter about wine and warmth at the moment."

If your favourite wine doesn't have a thermal sensor, a good rule of thumb is to refrigerate red wine for 30 minutes before opening, and to pull white wine out of the fridge 30 minutes before opening.